LysmachiaMoon's blog: Cold and my shower blows me away

The past two mornings have been downright chilly! Yesterday it was 52F at 7 am. This morning 50F at 7 am. This is a wonderful reprieve right before the really bad heat and humidity set in so I'm not complaining. Clear skies too, absolutely stunning weather, the kind I remember from my childhood in the western PA mountains. My mom called it "sweater weather".

Tuesday morning I spent in the Woodland, pulling enormous quantities of garlic mustard. I filled six wheelbarrow loads, heaping full, and I'm not halfway done yet. I've read repeatedly that garlic mustard is a perennial, but I think it is a biennial, like other members of the brassica/mustard family. It seems to come in "waves"...one year, almost nothing, then the next it's everywhere. What I believe is that on the "off" years, all that you see is the flat, broad leaves which actually look very nice as a groundcover. Then, the next spring, up shoot the flower stems. In flower, it's a pretty springtime plant, delicate airy white blooms. But as it sets seed it starts to get very ugly and that's where I am at right now. Plus, a botanist friend once told me that garlic mustard emits a chemical that suppresses the germination of other species' seeds. I've noticed as I pull it that nothing (NOTHING) is sprouted underneath. It doesn't kill off existing plants, but no seedlings of any kind around it.

I loaded up the truck with the pulled weeds and I'm going to take them to the recycling center/composting area to dump. I have to get them off the property and I think the composting process up there is hot enough to kill off the developing seeds.

We got our water system back up and running. Needed a new well pump, a new switch and a new pressure tank. I had no idea how the water pressure was dropping slowly over the past several years until they put in the new pressure tank. Holy cow! My shower nearly knocked me over *HA*. Did you know it does NOT take 5 minutes to fill the average tea kettle? Turn the tap, and presto, filled. Who knew?

Got a discounted clematis "Pink Champagne" at Walmart and put that in yesterday, down by the greenhouse, where it can climb the veg garden fence. I've got two other clematis that I think I may need to move. They are along the wood rail fence of the south long border, in the shade of the big wild cherry tree. I don't think of that spot as shady, but they refuse to bloom so I'm thinking they need more sun. Lots of viney growth, just never any flowers. It's too bad too, because one is 'Niobe" a deep deep crimson. It's been so long I don't remember what the other one is! I've also got a very tiny vitecella clematis on the north facing veg garden fence. It's just this year putting on some real growth. In fact, I should get down there and tie it up the fence. That one was a real find. It was on a very deep discount scramble table at Tractor Supply a couple years ago; I don't think anyone knew what it was. It was tiny, but I only paid $1 for it and if it does well (I believe it's "Betty Corning') it should be spectacular in another year or so.

I want to get back to garlic mustard pulling later today, but, on the advice of a wise friend, I am taking the morning off and heading north. I haven't been to Lurgan's Nursery in 2 years and I need to play hooky today. I need some "me time." The past 18 months feel like one long stretch of laundry, litter boxes, book edits, vet visits, weeds, chickens, and dirty pots and pans. I'm going to browse Lurgan's huge grounds, maybe buy something for my garden, then stop and have lunch at a restaurant. If I feel like it, I may even stop in Chambersburg Hobby Lobby and pick up some card-making supplies. Spend. I want to spend. But only if I find it on the discount rack.

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